Run-D.M.C. become first hip-hop act to win lifetime achievement Grammy

The trio are due to become the first rappers to earn the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, some 30 years after they were nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance – when the rap category didn’t even exist.

“I just got a call from the Grammys!” tweeted an excited Rev Run. “They shocked me!! We’re the first rappers to get this award!! Shocked! Grateful! God is good!!!

Joseph ‘Rev Run’ Simmons and Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels are the two surviving members of the group. Jason Mizell AKA Jam Master Jay was shot dead in 2002.

Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy, said the trio’s “exceptional accomplishments, contributions, and artistry will continue to influence and inspire generations to come.”

Honorary awards are also going to the motley line-up of Celia Cruz, Earth Wind & Fire, John Cage, Ruth Brown, Jefferson Airplane, Herbie Hancock, and Linda Ronstadt. The 58th annual Grammy Awards take place on Sunday, February 15.

FACT TV hung out with DMC to talk about the origins of hip-hop, the problem with American radio and his friend Jam Master Jay – watch the interview.